Soccer Stars
by Ducky-san
Summary: Mikan and Hotaru love soccer, not boys. Then they try out for the city soccer team, and their coaches are intent on winning more than just the games. NXM and RXH. Rated T for safety.
1. Chapter 1

No, unfortunately I don't own Gakuen Alice

* * *

**Chapter One**

"Hotaru!"

Hotaru looked at Mikan coolly, her emotionless eyes saying that she didn't want to be disturbed while she was eating her crab and watching her favorite sitcom on the television.

"I'm busy," she said simply.

Mikan was on the floor on her stomach, her legs in the air. She had a soccer ball under her chin as she looked up at Hotaru with a disappointed look on her face. "But Hotaru! We need to go _now _or we're going to be late!"

Soccer tryouts were in twenty minutes, and they still had to get to the indoor field and change. If they didn't leave right that minute, they were going to be late. And no coach wants to have a player who's late for tryouts.

Hotaru sighed and stood up. She took her plate into the kitchen and then walked back to stand in front of Mikan, looking down at her with her arms crossed over her chest and an annoyed look on her face. "Hurry up, baka," she said. "Or we're going to be late."

Mikan smiled and shot to her feet, taking her ball with her. She walked with Hotaru do the door of her best friend's parents' house and they both picked up their sports bags. Hotaru led the way out to the car waiting in the driveway, and the two sixteen year olds got in.

It only took ten minutes to drive through the city and stop in front of the indoor field, but they still needed to change. So, without wasting any precious time, Hotaru parked the vehicle and popped the trunk.

Mikan opened her door and stepped out into the fresh summer air. She walked over to the trunk, where Hotaru was already pulling their bags out. "Thanks Hotaru!" she exclaimed, snatching the bag away from her. "Now let's go!"

The other ten minutes they had before tryouts consisted of changing, tying hair back, and walking out onto the indoor field with the rest of the girl, completely prepared to show off their skills.

There were at least forty other girls, and all of them couldn't make the team, so Hotaru and Mikan weren't ready to cut anyone some slack. They were ready to give it their all, and then they planned on going out for coffee later.

Another girl, one with dark hair, walked up in front of Mikan and smiled. "Hi, I'm Nonoko," she said sweetly, holding out her hand. "I've never seen you two here at the field before." Her eyes began to shine with affection and she took her hand back before Hotaru or Mikan had a chance to shake it. "Just _wait _until you see our coaches. They are the most amazing guys in Japan! Not only are they the best soccer players, but they're both totally handsome."

Mikan and Hotaru looked at each other and shrugged. "Aren't they supposed to be older than us?" Mikan asked casually, trying to hide the smile on her face as she studied Nonoko's dreamy expression.

Another girl walked up, this one with pink hair and a pale skin tone. She had a bright smile on her face, almost identical to the one Nonoko wore. She also had the same dreamy look. "They're only seventeen, but both of them are so skilled! They'll be great coaches!"

Nonoko linked arms with the other girl and started hopping up and down excitedly. "I'm so excited, Anna!" she squealed.

Hotaru grabbed Mikan's wrist and dragged her around the two jolly girls and to the front of the large group. That was when they saw two men making their way onto the field.

One man, the taller one, had dark, raven colored hair and crimson, piercing eyes. He wore an expression like the one Hotaru normally wore, emotionless and careless. He certainly was a handsome man, but his attitude made Mikan hate him just by looking at him.

The other coach had light, blonde hair and striking blue eyes. He had a kind smile on his face, making the girls swoon as soon as they set eyes on him. He had just as much muscles as the other one, but this guy looked much more likeable.

The two coaches stopped in front of the large group of girls and studied them carefully. They didn't pay attention to anyone in particular, but they did give curious glances to Mikan and Hotaru, who were unmoved by their presence.

"I'm Hyuuga Natsume," the raven-haired one said coldly, dropping the ball he had been holding and stepping on it lightly with his right foot. "This is Nogi Ruka, and we're going to coach whoever is good enough to make the team. Don't expect us to go easy on you, because we're going to train you to win."

Mikan leaned over to Hotaru. "He could have said that in a much nicer way," she whispered in her best friend's ear. "I mean, doesn't seem a little harsh to say 'whoever is good enough'?"

Hotaru merely shrugged.

Natsume kicked the ball at Mikan, aiming for her head. Too bad for him, she had fast reflexes and turned her head in time to head-butt it right back into his hands. She glared at him, her eyes dancing with anger.

"What was that for?" she hissed, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes. "You could have said, 'Hey, you, stop talking.' You didn't have to freakin' hammer it at me!"

All the other girls – except Hotaru, of course – almost fell over when they heard her say that, but she really could care less. Who did he think he was, trying to smack her in the face like that?

Ruka stepped in before the two of them started bickering. "Anyway, I think we've wasted enough time," he said, stepping forward. "Let's get started on tryouts, shall we?"

The next hour or so was mostly just playing against each other. They were divided into two teams and Natsume and Ruka watched, marking things down on their clipboards after they had received everyone's names.

Mikan and Hotaru, who formed a powerhouse, were dominating, but they didn't forget to pass to the other players. They stopped trying as hard near the end of the game, since their team was winning by a long shot.

Finally, Natsume blew his whistle and everyone gathered around, panting and sweating as if they'd just run a marathon. It was understandable, though, since the coaches only gave them two breaks that were only two minutes the whole entire tryout.

"Good work today, ladies," Ruka said, smiling and making the girls (except Hotaru and Mikan) swoon once again and melt under his gaze. "We'll post the names of those who made this tryout on the bulletin outside at the admission counter. For those whose names are on that list, we'll be seeing you again in two days for another tryout. We can't pick our team yet, seeing as there were too many of you, so we have to have a second tryout. Once again, great job and you can go shower and get changed."

Mikan and Hotaru were just turning around to follow the rest of the girls out into the change rooms when a voice stopped them. "Hey, Imai, Sakura, stay here a moment, will you?"

It was Ruka.

Mikan and Hotaru slowly turned around, the same thing going through both of their minds. _What are they up to? _Both girls narrowed their eyes in suspicion as they walked back over so they were face to face with Ruka and Natsume.

"What do you want that's worth wasting our time?" Hotaru asked in her emotionless voice, as usual.

"Yeah," Mikan agreed, frowning. "I have to get to my job in half an hour, and if you make me late someone is going to pay, and it's probably going to be one of you, if not both."

Natsume was the one who spoke. "How long have you two been playing?" he asked, ignoring Mikan's threat and Hotaru's question.

Mikan glanced at Hotaru. "We've both been playing since we were four," she said quickly, getting slightly impatient. "Why does it matter? If I'm late I'm going to get fired."

"You both have good skills, but there's always room for improvement," Ruka said, flashing one of his smiles and receiving raised eyebrows from Mikan and Hotaru. "We just wanted to tell you that we didn't have to make much of a decision about putting you on the team. We still want you to come for the second set of tryouts, but we can tell you now that you're already on the team."

Mikan's face lit up and she turned to Hotaru, who remained emotionless. She took the other girl's shoulders and began shaking her violently. "Hotaru, do you know what this means?" she asked loudly, trying to contain her excitement but failing miserably. "We get to play on a _real _soccer team, instead of out in the stupid field! And-"

"You're different." Ruka was speaking again, and he was eyeing the girls carefully.

Mikan stopped rejoicing and released Hotaru's shoulders. She turned back around to face Ruka and Natsume, and she frowned at them. "So just because we don't start drooling over you makes us different?"

Hotaru grabbed Mikan's wrist. "You're going to be late."

Mikan looked to the wall clock. "Oh no! Hurry, Hotaru, hurry!"


	2. Chapter 2

No, unfortuantely I don't own Gakuen Alice.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

Mikan grumbled something to herself and stalked over to table seven, where a couple was currently waiting for the dear waitress to come and take their order.

"Hi, my name is Mikan Sakura and I will be your waitress for this evening," she said, a huge and unrealistic smile plastered on her face. "May I take your order?" She pulled out a notepad and pen from her apron.

"Can I get a half-rack of slow roasted ribs, please?" the man asked.

"Certainly," Mikan replied, jotting down the order on her notepad. "And do you want fries, salad, rice, or mashed potatoes with that?"

"Fries."

"And for yourself?" Mikan turned to the woman.

"Just a salad."

_No manners or anything, _Mikan thought bitterly, smiling one last time before turning around and walking swiftly back over to the kitchen to give the chefs the orders. _People are so rude these days._

Mikan worked at a high-class restaurant, and she hated it. She was highly underpaid and most of the time people were rude to her. She shrugged it off most of the time, but now she was beginning to get a little bit frustrated.

"Mikan, another table is waiting for you," one of the other waitresses said. "Table eleven." She giggled. "Those are two of the hottest guys I have ever met. I heard they're soccer coaches."

Mikan tried to hide her amusement as she made her way over to table eleven. When she got there, she wasn't overly surprised to see Natsume Hyuuga and Ruka Nogi sitting at the booth, talking to each other in low voices. They both looked up upon her arrival.

"Well, if it isn't you," Natsume said, casually sitting back. "Never would have expected to see someone with a mouth like yours working at such a nice restaurant."

Mikan clenched her jaw in anger. "_You _has a name," she said, placing the two menus down in front of the customers none too gently. "I'm Mikan Sakura and I will be your waitress for this evening." Her voice lacked the same politeness she had had when talking to the couple. She actually sounded quite bored. "Can I get you something to drink?"

Natsume raised an eyebrow.

Ruka just watched her intently.

Mikan stared at both of them suspiciously. "What?" That was when her stomach rumbled and another groan escaped her lips. "Hurry up! Order something!" She stomped her foot in frustration. "I'm starving."

"Us ordering and faster isn't going to do much for your hunger," Ruka said. "Why don't you take a break and get something to eat. We'll treat you."

"It isn't that easy," Mikan replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "I work in a fancy restaurant and I don't get breaks. When my shift is over is when I get to eat, and my shift isn't over for another hour and a half." She sighed. "If you aren't going to order anything then I'll be going. I have other things to do."

Ruka stood up. "Can you wait here for a second?" He disappeared around a corner, leaving Mikan and Natsume to stare in the direction he had went, surprised.

"What's he doing?" Mikan asked, not really directing the question at anyone.

"How should I know?" Natsume replied, picking up the menu and falling silent.

A second later, Ruka returned alongside Mikan's boss, Hikaru. The older woman was dazed and she looked as if she had just seen the best looking guy in the whole entire world. That was when Mikan realized what her coach had done.

"Mikan, you can take a break with these kind gentlemen," Hikaru breathed, looking at Natsume and Ruka with a dreamy look in her eyes, sort of like the one that had been on Nonoko's face earlier in the day during tryouts. "Just get back to work as soon as you're done. I'll get another waitress to serve you." And then she left.

Mikan watched the retreating figure of her boss and then turned back to Ruka, her eyebrow raised as high as it would go. "Wow," she said, sitting down in the empty chair beside Natsume. "What exactly did you say to her?"

Ruka shrugged. "Nothing really," he said, picking up his menu. "I said that I would kiss her if she let you take a short break so that you could eat. It didn't take much convincing."

Mikan stood back up. "I'll be right back," she informed them. "I'm going to go get a menu." She left and came back shortly after, holding a menu. She sat back down and opened it, but she didn't start reading. "So what brings you two out here for dinner? Special occasion? One of you finally get a girlfriend? What's the deal?"

Natsume gave her a sidelong glanced and rolled his eyes. "None of your business, little girl," he said.

Mikan frowned at him. "Fine then. Have it your way."

They sat in silent as they looked through the menu. Then the waitress came along, a very smitten look on her face. This waitress was one of Mikan's friends at the restaurant, and it was obvious that she also thought that Natsume and Ruka were dreamy. Her name was Yuri.

"Hi, I'm Yuri Sohma and I will be your waitress for this evening," she shy girl said. She took out her notepad and pen. "Can I take your order?"

They ordered. Natsume ordered steak, Ruka ordered ribs, and Mikan ordered a salad.

Yuri disappeared and Mikan sat back and crossed her legs. "So, how long have you two been coaches?" she asked casually. "Not too long, I suppose, since I heard you're only seventeen."

"It's our first year," Ruka said.

Mikan nodded. "I thought as much."

"And how exactly did you learn to play?" Natsume asked, sounding bored.

"Why, did my performance with Hotaru amaze you?" she said, a smirk playing onto her lips. "My dad taught Hotaru and I how to play when we were little. We've been playing in the field ever since."

"I'd like to meet your father," Ruka said. He didn't realize it was the wrong thing to say.

"Unfortunately, that probably isn't going to happen," Mikan said, her spirits plummeting. She bowed her head and stared at her hands, which were clasped together in her lap. "I haven't seen him in eight years. When my mom died he started to act really weird. He started hitting me, and I ran away. My grandpa took me in, and we moved over here so that he couldn't find me." She took a deep breath and looked up, a smile back on her face. "But it isn't really important. There are other things to worry about."

Ruka glanced at Natsume with a hint of worry on his face, but his partner just shrugged. Ruka decided it was time to change the subject. "Now, your friend Hotaru," he began. "Doesn't she ever come to visit you?"

Mikan's eyes narrowed again. "Yes," she said, smiling slyly. "She came for coffee earlier. Why? Do you like her?"

"Well, um, no," Ruka said, a blush creeping onto his cheeks and betraying his emotions. "She a really good player, that's all."

Their food came and they ate, mostly in silence. Then Mikan spoke up. "Are you rich?"

Natsume almost choked on his steak and Ruka almost spat his water all over the place, both of them finding it funny that she had just come out and said that. What a random question.

"And if we are?" Natsume asked, regaining his composure.

"It was just a question," Mikan said with a shrug.

"Yes, we both do have a lot of money," Ruka said. "Natsume's dad owns a clothing store and my mom owns a makeup company."

Mikan stood up. "Well, that's all I wanted to know." She picked up the plates and balanced them carefully on her arms. "Thanks for the meal, but I need to get back to work." She flashed them a smile before turning around.

"What's with the short skirt, little girl?" Natsume asked before she had time to walk away. "It barely covers your butt."

"It's the uniform you dummy," Mikan said, looking at him over her shoulder. "And why the heck are you looking at my butt in the first place?" Without waiting for a reply, she walked away. "Pervert."

Ruka looked at Natsume. "Do you think they'll be good for the team?" he asked.

Natsume nodded. "Yes, I do," he replied. "But that doesn't mean I'm going easy on them."

* * *

A/N: Sorry for taking so long :(...My computer was acting up...Thanks for all the reviews!! -Ducky-san 


	3. Chapter 3

No, unfortuantely I don't own Gakuen Alice.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Hotaru watched Mikan with a hidden concern as her friend kicked the ball at the goalie repeatedly. It was the second tryout, and Mikan had been acting very unlike herself the whole time. Her energy had gone down and her fury had gone up. And Hotaru wasn't the only one who noticed this change.

Ruka jogged up to her. "What's the matter with her?" he asked, watching Mikan take her feelings out on the ball. "She isn't acting like herself."

Hotaru shrugged, her eyes still fixed on her best friend. "She hasn't said anything to me all day," she said. "At least, she hasn't said anything was wrong. I asked her, and she told me she was fine and not to worry about it. It's not like her, and I'm sure you know that."

"Any ideas?"

"Her cell phone's been ringing and vibrating all morning but she won't answer it," Hotaru explained. "When it rings, she'll open it and pick up the call and then just hang up right away. I didn't think it was a good idea to ask who it was."

Ruka just nodded and jogged back over to Natsume, and Hotaru watched as they talked, occasionally glancing at Mikan as she continued to fire the ball at the goalie.

_Why is he calling all of a sudden? _Mikan caught the ball as the goalie, Sumire, threw it back to her. She dropped it onto the ground and kicked it as hard as she could, grunting as she did so. _And why now? _She felt tears well up in her eyes, but she blinked them away. _Why is he being so persistent? Why is-_

Smack!

"Ow!" Mikan turned around to face Natsume, who had just kicked the ball and hit her in the back of the head. She stomped up to him, a furious expression molded onto her face. "What's your problem?"

"What's _your _problem?" Natsume asked, stepping on the ball with his right foot when it rolled back to him. "You aren't playing like you did yesterday. If you're going to be like that all the time, then maybe you shouldn't play at all. We gave you the honor of being on this team, and we can't have you abuse the privilege. If you aren't going to play right, then you aren't going to play at all."

Ruka shook his head at his partner's harshness. "Mikan, what he's trying to say is tell us what's wrong," he said. "Even Hotaru thinks something's wrong."

Mikan looked like she was about to say something, but she shook her head instead. "It's nothing," she said, turning around. "I'll be fine."

Ruka turned to Natsume once she was out of earshot. "I wonder what her problem is."

Natsume shrugged. "It's her problem, not ours," he said casually, bending down and picking up the ball. "She can solve it herself."

* * *

"Hey!" Hotaru ran up to Ruka and Natsume, her eyes emotionless and her lips a thin, straight line, her usual expression. 

The tryout had just ended, and it was already dark out. Ruka and Natsume were just heading towards their offices when Hotaru came running up to them, out of breath. Her appearance didn't tell anyone she was worried, but her voice did.

"Mikan is walking home tonight," she informed them. "At least I think she is. She left before I was done changing, and I couldn't find her outside."

"What do you want us to do about it?" Natsume asked with a casual shrug.

"I want you to help me find her," Hotaru replied. "There are crazy people in Tokyo, and it's dangerous for someone like her to be out on her own at night. And in the state she's in right now, I'm not sure it's even a good idea for her to be alone in the day time."

"She can do whatever she wants," Natsume said before Ruka could say anything.

Hotaru turned to him, her eyes fiery. "You like to win, Hyuuga," she stated. "Mikan can help you win. If anything happens to her, you won't be doing a whole lot of winning." She turned to Ruka. "You go towards the park." She turned back to Natsume. "You go towards the river. She goes there when she isn't feeling well. I'll head towards her house." And then she left.

Ruka looked at Natsume. "Come on," he said, beginning to run after Hotaru. "She's right."

* * *

Mikan sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time in the past ten minutes. She was walking towards the river, her refuge when she wasn't feeling up to anything else. She could feel her phone vibrating in her jeans pocket, and it would ring when he was trying to call her instead of text her. 

_Leave me alone!_

A car drove by on the street and skidded to a stop at the curb, only a few meters in front of her. Her heart sped up and she began to walk faster. Was someone going to kidnap her? Was someone going to try and rape her?

She walked by the black Jaguar and the passenger window rolled down. "Get in the car," a voice said, a strikingly familiar voice, at that.

"Hyuuga?"

Natsume leaned across the passenger seat and opened the door for her. "Get in the car now," he ordered. "Your best friend is worried about you."

Mikan crossed her arms over her chest. "Why would I get in a car with _you?" _she asked, ignoring the ringing and vibrating coming from her pocket. "You hit me with a ball today! Who would get in a car with someone who did that? No thanks. I can walk."

"Just get in the car!" Natsume snapped. "Imai made me come all this way to get you, and I'm not going anywhere without you in this car. Get in and I'll take you home."

Mikan looked around and sighed. Her hands dropped to her sides and she stepped into the expensive car. She shut the door behind her and took her phone out of her pocket. Just like Hotaru had explained to Ruka, she opened it to answer the call but hung up right away, causing the ringing to stop.

They drove in silence. Natsume had his elbow on the armrest on his door and his other hand on the top of the steering wheel. When Mikan didn't say anything, he pulled to a stop beside the curb.

"Who's calling?" he demanded, looking at the phone in her hand, which was vibrating again. "Whoever is calling is effecting your performance."

Mikan looked at the phone and sighed again. "My dad."

Natsume held out his hand expectantly. Mikan reluctantly handed over the phone. Just as it left her hand, it began ringing again. Natsume smirked and glanced at Mikan, who had a horrified look on her face.

"No, don't-"

But it was too late. Natsume flipped the phone open and put it to his ear. "Hello?"

"_Who are you?" _the voice on the other line said, sounding angry. _"And what are you doing with my daughter's phone?"_

"You're making her play badly in soccer," Natsume said simply. "If she hasn't answered your calls yet, why are you still calling? She obviously doesn't want to talk to you."

"_Oh, you're her controlling boyfriend, aren't you? Well, I'll have to do something about you."_

"No, I'm not her boyfriend," Natsume replied, his voice getting annoyed. "I'm her soccer coach."

Mikan's jaw dropped and she reached for the phone, but Natsume jerked away from her touch. "Hyuuga!" she whispered. "Give me the phone!"

"_Is that so?"_

"Yes. What do you want?"

"_I want to talk to my daughter."_

"Not gonna happen." And Natsume shut the phone.

Mikan was still gaping at him. "He thought you were my _boyfriend?_" she asked, disgusted. "Ugh, why did you have to answer the stupid phone? You could have just left it."

Natsume watched her carefully before stepping on the gas and pulling out onto the street again. "If he's going to keep bothering you, you're going to keep playing like you just learned how to kick a ball," he said, fixing his eyes on the road once more. "And if that happens, I'm going to have to take you off the team."

Mikan rolled her eyes and didn't say anything else until they arrived in front of Mikan's house, where Hotaru had told him to go if he found her. "Thanks anyway." She flashed him a smile and climbed out of the Jaguar. "See you tomorrow." She stopped before she closed the door and peered back in. "Nice car, by the way."

Natsume raised an eyebrow and watched her walk into the dark house. _What a weird girl…_

* * *

A/N: Once again, sorry for the delayed update!! My computer's fixed now but school starts tomorrow so I'm probably going to be busy. I'll do my best to keep updating, though!! Thanks for the reviews! They mean a lot! 


	4. Chapter 4

No, unfortunately I don't own Gakuen Alice.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Mikan hammered the ball so hard she felt her toe crack, but it was worth it. The black and white ball went flying into the net, zipping past the goalie with ease. She raised her arms and triumph and spun around, only to be tackled by her teammates.

It was their first real game, and they were winning, thanks to Mikan and Hotaru – the number one powerhouse.

They began to play the game again, and Mikan had the ball. She was running with it and was just about to pass it over to Nonoko when...

Suddenly, Mikan felt a tug on her shirt and then she saw the ground getting closer and closer to her face. _Well, that's weird… _she thought. _Wait a second… _Smack! She did a face plant into the grass.

A whistle blew and Mikan sat up, rubbing her nose. "What was that for?" she shouted, standing up and turning to face the girl that had grabbed her shirt. "What did I ever do to you?" She wasn't the only one who was angry, either. Natsume and Ruka were engaged in a loud argument with the ref.

The girl who had pulled Mikan shirt smirked, only to make Hotaru walk up to her with the same emotionless expression she wore every minute of every day – for the most part. She didn't look very happy, but then again, she never did.

"Watch what you're grabbing," she warned. "Or you'll be sorry, baka."

Mikan turned around and ran over to the coaches, who were still arguing with the ref. "That baka pulled my shirt!" she accused, pointing to the girl that Hotaru was yelling at. "I deserve a foul shot, thank you very much." She rubbed her nose. "That was painful."

The three men ignored her and kept going with their argument. Natsume and Ruka were saying that Mikan was the one that got fouled, not the one that fouled the other girl. The ref, however, was saying that Mikan tripped the other girl.

"What?" Mikan exclaimed, putting her hands on her hips. "That chick didn't even trip! She pulled my shirt! Are you blind?"

The three pairs of eyes turned to her and she suddenly felt stupid. She wasn't sure why, though. She hadn't done anything wrong.

"You're benched," the ref said firmly, causing the jaws of Ruka and Mikan to drop and causing Natsume to clench his fists in anger. But before any of them had a chance to open their mouths, the ref jogged back over to where he had been standing and waited for Natsume and Ruka to select another player.

Still angry, Natsume put Anna on.

Mikan sat down on the bench and crossed her arms over her chest. Her back was hunched over and she was grumbling something to herself.

Ruka walked over to her and crouched down in front of her. "Don't beat yourself up," he advised her. "You didn't do anything wrong. Natsume and I both saw that she pulled your shirt."

Mikan looked at him from under her eyebrows very fiercely, making him laugh nervously. "That baka is going to get it from me next time I see her," she said. And she meant it.

* * *

It was Saturday. No tryouts, no coaches, no cheating players. Just Hotaru, Mikan, Anna, Nonoko, and the coffee shop. 

And the little cheating brat from the soccer game the previous day.

"She's going to get it," Anna said nervously, watching Mikan fume.

"No doubt about it," Nonoko agreed.

"Would you hurry up and get it done?" Hotaru asked, annoyed. "I want to see her cry right now."

Mikan stood up from the table and stalked over to where the girl sat by herself at the booth. "Hey, you, remember me?" she said, clenching her hands into fists and staring at the girl with very cold eyes.

The girl looked up and smirked. "How could I forget?" she asked, stirring some sugar into her cup of coffee. "You're the one that kissed the ground yesterday. You worship soccer, do you?"

Mikan scowled. "We all know you're a dirty, good-for-nothing scumbag that makes a living by cheating," she said, slamming her hands down on the table. "And you really wanna get it from me, don't you?"

"Really?" the girl said sarcastically. "What are you going to do? Slap me?"

A small smile twitched up onto the corners of Mikan's lips. "Yup," she said. With that, she wound up and slapped the girl across the face. "Maybe you should learn to be more gentle with your playmates."

The girl gaped and put her hand to her cheek where Mikan had slapped her. She clenched her jaw, reached up and…Can you guess what she did next? Yup, you guessed it. She slapped her right back.

Mikan had the same reaction, gently putting her hand where the girl had slapped her. "Why you little…" And she slapped her again. For a few seconds, they had a slapping war, causing all eyes to turn their way.

And then someone stopped them.

"Hey! Knock it off!" Natsume pushed them apart and out of arms-length. "What do you think you're doing?" His anger was directed at Mikan. "Did you just slap her?"

Mikan hid her shock in seeing him there. Instead, anger took over. "And if I did?" she shot back. "I told you she was going to get it! And besides, she slapped me back!" The small smile returned to her lips. "Siding with the opponent, are we? Well, _excuse me _for slapping your girlfriend. But I can do whatever I want. Just because you're my coach doesn't mean you can control me." She turned around and stalked back to her friends. "Ugh! The nerve of that guy!"

Hotaru looked amused and Anna and Nonoko were gaping.

Mikan really didn't care anymore.

* * *

At practice the next day, Natsume kept trying to talk to Mikan, but every time she would walk away, her nose pointed up and her arms crossed over her chest. She _hated _him. He was dating someone from a different team. 

Ruka called the girls in. Natsume was the one who wanted to talk. "Listen, the other day you did fabulous," he said. "We're playing the same team again tomorrow, and I would like you to go a little bit easier on them. They know how good you are, and it isn't likely that they can beat you even if you do pipe down a bit. And-"

"Oh, so just because your girlfriend's on that team you're going to make us go easy on them?" Hotaru asked mockingly. "Yeah right!"

"She's absolutely right," Mikan agreed. "We aren't letting up."

Natsume kicked the ball at her face, just like he had twice before. Still, her reflexes were sharp and she caught it with ease. "I didn't say let them win," he said. "I said don't crush them."

"Crushing them gives us reputation points," Sumire said.

The whole team agreed. Even Ruka did.

"Natsume, why do you want the girls to go easy on them?" Ruka asked once he sent the girls back to practice. "It's not like you."

Natsume released a breath. "I made a deal with that girl that pulled her shirt," he said, using _her _as Mikan's name. He didn't say her name anyway. "It was either tell the girls to take it down a notch or two and no one gets hurt, or let them go crazy again and make one or two suffer a broken ankle. And she said that those one or two people would probably be Imai and Sakura."

Ruka frowned. "Since when do you let people tell you what to do?"

Natsume smirked. "I don't," he said. "I was simply seeing what they thought about it." He turned to the field. "Alright girls!" he shouted. "Tomorrow, we're going to destroy them!"


	5. Chapter 5

No, unfortunately I don't own Gakuen Alice.

* * *

**Chapter Five**

Mikan passed the ball to Hotaru, who passed it to Anna, who passed it back to Mikan. She swiftly moved around one of the other players, taking the ball with her. Then she saw the familiar face of the girl she had seen with Natsume and the girl that had tugged her shirt.

Mikan had discovered that the girl's name was Hoshi, and that she was the team's captain. Her name meant 'star', and that was probably the reason why she had decided to foul Mikan. Mikan was more of a star than her.

Hoshi tried to slide into Mikan's ankles to make her fall, but Mikan passed the ball over to Sumire and jumped over Hoshi's feet with ease. She didn't turn around to see what happened to her, but she guessed she probably fell.

Nonoko kicked it up into the air, Hotaru blocked two of the players, giving Mikan a clear shot to the ball. Mikan jumped up and was just about to smack it with her head when suddenly…

Smack!

Everything fell silent. Mikan landed on her stomach on the ground. She could hear Ruka and Natsume shouting at the ref, and the ref didn't argue with them. Everything was so weird feeling. It felt like her insides had been blown right out through her back.

"Mikan!" It was one of the other players on Mikan's team, Akiko.

Mikan shot to her feet. Bad idea… She saw colors and she felt loopy. She began to stagger slightly, and for a moment everything zoned out. When her vision cleared again, and was staring at the faces of Natsume, Ruka, the ref, and a very angry looking Hoshi.

"You tackled me!" Mikan accused, pointing her finger at Hoshi, her eyes dancing with fire.

Ruka put his hand on her back and pushed her over to the bench. "Mikan, I want you to sit out for the rest of the game," he told her gently, pushing her onto the bench. "Hoshi will be punished, so don't worry. Just relax and watch the game."

"What?" Mikan exclaimed. "Why?"

Natsume looked at her over his shoulder. "You almost passed out. Besides, you aren't the only one who's hurt." He pointed at the field.

Mikan leaned over and looked around him, and her mouth instantly fell open. "Hotaru!" She jumped back up to run to her friend, pushing past Ruka. Unfortunately for her, Natsume had been expecting it and caught her arm.

"We'll take care of it, Mikan," Ruka said, jogging over to where Hotaru was crouched over, holding her ankle in her hands.

"What happened to her?" Mikan asked, looking up at her coach, who wore the same emotionless expression he always wore. "What did that Hoshi chick do to her?"

Natsume kept his eyes fixed on his fallen player. "She double-foot jacked her," he said dully. "It wouldn't be surprising if she had a minor sprain. Just sit down. Ruka will take care of her."

Mikan sighed and trudged back to her seat on the bench. That's when she heard the dull ringing coming from her bag, which was placed beside Hotaru's and Nonoko's behind their team bench. She looked at it cautiously, hardly breathing.

"Keep watching, it might do a trick." Natsume was standing in front of her.

Mikan kept her eyes glued to her bag. "He's trying to reach me," she said quietly. She turned to Natsume her eyes wide. "How did he even get my number? I didn't give it to him! No one knows it! No one but Hotaru and grandpa! How did he get my number?"

Natsume rolled his eyes. "I'm sure there are ways to get your number," he said. A smirk played onto his lips. "Maybe he's using your phone to track you. If you answer it, maybe he'll know where you are and he'll come and get you."

A look of complete horror took over Mikan's soft features, but it slowly turned into a frown. "Stop trying to scare me!" she ordered. "He isn't smart enough to find out ways to track me. Besides, he isn't going anywhere with me while you're around, is he?"

Natsume raised his eyebrow. "And why would I care?"

Mikan's frown deepened. "Because I'm one of your best players."

"Natsume, go get some ice." Ruka was walking towards the bench, Hotaru in his arms bridal-style. "Mikan can watch her."

Hotaru didn't look very happy to be carried. She had a scowl on her face and she was muttering something to herself, but it was clear that she was in no shape to walk. Her ankle was swollen, making it look very unhealthy.

Ruka placed her on the bench beside Mikan. "It's a minor sprain," he said. "It's going to be sore for awhile, but you should be fine in a couple of days, by our next game at least."

The ref blew the whistle after Natsume sent two more players onto the field. The game resumed and Ruka sat down on the bench beside Mikan and another player, Izumi. "Are you okay?"

Mikan nodded and shrugged. "I don't understand why you're keeping me off," she said. "I just got up too fast. It happens all the time."

"Like I heard Natsume say, you almost passed out," Ruka told her sternly. "I've seen it happen before. It's because of your blood pressure. We can't have anything happen to you, or anyone else on the team. We're responsible for you." He turned around and looked at her bag with the phone ringing inside of it. "Are you going to answer that?"

Mikan shook her head. "Nope."

* * *

Mikan stuffed her sweater into her bag as she walked out of the indoor field. Hotaru wouldn't be driving, that was for sure. Ruka had offered her a ride home, and Mikan insisted that she would be fine to walk the few blocks to her house. She didn't have much choice. 

"Poor Hotaru," she said to herself. She looked up and froze, completely petrified. "Oh no." She spun around on her heel and ran back into the indoor field. She zipped through the change rooms and ran onto the grass, where she saw Natsume packing up his stuff and talking to the ref as he did so. "Hyuuga!"

Natsume didn't look up at her. "What do you want, little girl?" he asked, sounding annoyed, as he usually did when he was talking to her.

"You were right!" Mikan said, looking over her shoulder cautiously.

"What are you talking about?"

"He's back!"

"Who's back?"

Mikan looked back at Natsume, her eyes wide with what looked like fear. "My dad."


	6. Chapter 6

No, unfortunately I don't own Gakuen Alice.

* * *

**Chapter Six**

The doors to the field open and Mikan went rigid. "Uh oh," she whispered, looking around for some place to hide. "Hyuuga, think of something! He can't get me! I don't want to go back!"

Natsume stood up and looked over the top of her head. "It's the other ref, doorknob."

Mikan let out a sigh of relief, but then she heard the doors open again and instantly went stiff. "Think of something!"

Natsume walked around Mikan and over to the doors, where Mikan was certain her father was standing. "Hey," her coach said. "What are you doing here? The field's closed."

"I recognize your voice." Yeah, that was definitely Mikan's dad. "You're my daughter's controlling boyfriend." His voice sounded stern, and Mikan knew that couldn't be good news. "I'm here looking for Mikan, and if you don't tell me where she is I'll beat it out of you."

Mikan bit her lip. Was he blind?

"I told you before, I'm not her boyfriend, I'm her coach," Natsume replied, doing a good job in controlling his anger. "And I haven't seen her since she left after the game today. I wouldn't suppose she wants to be bothered, by you especially."

"Not gonna tell me?"

Mikan spun around. "What are you doing here?" She pushed back her fear and walked over to them on shaky legs. She hadn't seen him in a long time. He didn't look much different. "I don't want to be anywhere near you. Just leave me alone. I'm happy here. Happier than I ever was with you."

Her dad, Kenta, looked surprised to see her, but he ignored her request and turned back to Natsume. "So, you're a liar?" he asked with a smirk. "I don't want a liar hanging around my daughter. Mikan, come with me."

Mikan sidestepped closer to Natsume. "I'm not going with you," she said firmly. "I'm happy here." Her arm brushed Natsume's and she quickly moved away before he had a chance to say anything. "Leave. I don't want to be near you, and I don't want you near me. It was your choice to treat me like you did after mom died."

Natsume was getting impatient. _Why did I even both covering up for this little girl?_

Kenta studied her face. "This man has brainwashed you," he said, turning back to Natsume. He took a step towards him. "You brainwashed my daughter into thinking that I abandoned her."

Mikan stepped between them. "Leave Hyuuga out of this," she said. "Frankly, I don't know why he covered up for me either. He hates me. But even so, he has nothing to do with anything." She pushed her dad back. "I don't want to be near you." Her eyes were wide. "I know you didn't abandon me. I ran away. But I ran away because you were and probably still are a bad man."

Kenta looked like he was about to say something, but Mikan turned her back on him. "Can you give me a ride home?"

Natsume looked at her pleading face and rolled his eyes before turning and walking back to his bag. "Whatever."

* * *

Mikan's hands were shaking as she climbed into Natsume's car. She decided to get into the back seat, since she wanted to lie down. Not only was she exhausted, but she was terrified. If her dad had found her once, he could easily find out where she lived with her grandpa, if he didn't already know, and there was no telling what he could do. 

Natsume got in the driver's side. "You owe me," he informed her. "You owe me big time." He adjusted the rearview mirror and backed out of his parking space.

Mikan forced a weak smile. "Thanks anyway." She buckled herself into the middle spot in the back seat and removed her shoes before laying her head down and putting her legs up. "I really don't want to see him."

"Obviously."

The drove in silence most of the way. Mikan had her eyes closed and Natsume was just watching the dark road carefully, checking in his mirror every so often to make sure no one was following them (hint, hint – her dad). Finally he pulled up in front of her house.

"Oi, little girl, get out."

Mikan sat up and unbuckled herself. Before she got out of the car, she leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks." She got out.

Natsume rolled down his window before she walked up the driveway. "Coaches are off limits."

Mikan frowned. "Pervert."

* * *

"Mikan, what's wrong?" Hotaru's voice was soft and didn't show much emotion – as usual. "You're pale. I called your house last night and you weren't home. Is everything okay?" 

Mikan and Hotaru were sitting at a table in a coffee shop. Hotaru wasn't on crutches, since her sprain was minor, but she did have a limp and definitely wouldn't be going to practice that evening.

Mikan took a sip of her coffee and shrugged. "Nothing really," she said. "My father came to get me, that's all. But I told him to bugger off and I'm hoping he'll listen. If he comes after me, you won't let him take me, will you?"

Hotaru narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "And how did you get away from him last night?" she asked. "He's a man, you're a teenager, and you were by yourself. You couldn't have fought him off…"

"Hyuuga helped."

Hotaru stared.

Mikan stared back.

The door to the café opened. Mikan had her back to the door, but Hotaru had a clear view. Her eyes narrowed again and she pointed to the person who had entered. "Are you stalking her?"

Mikan turned around and almost fell out of the booth. "Hyuuga!" Her eyes narrowed and she wore a look that was identical to Hotaru's. "You _are _stalking me, aren't you?"

Natsume snorted. "Yeah right," he said, running a hand through his dark hair. "I'm here to meet Ruka."

"Guys discuss things over coffee?" Mikan asked, confused. "Since when?"

"They don't serve _just _coffee, little girl," he replied. He walked past them, but looked over his shoulder before he sat down at a different booth. "I think your dad saw me. I saw him out there, and if he still thinks I'm your boyfriend, he's probably going to follow me in here."

Mikan's eyes widened and she disappeared under the table.

Hotaru's face appeared a second later. "He was joking, baka."

"Oh." Mikan scooted back up onto the table and saw Natsume shaking his head in disbelief. "Jerk."

Ruka came in awhile later, said hello to the girls, and then went to join Natsume. For awhile, Mikan and Hotaru watched them curiously.

"What do you suppose they're talking about?" Mikan asked.

Hotaru shrugged. "I know as much as you do."

Ruka and Natsume suddenly stood and Mikan and Hotaru turned away quickly and engaged in a conversation about crab, relieving any suspicious acts before either of the men noticed they had been watching.

Both Natsume and Ruka walked by them and seemed to have forgotten that two of their players were sitting right there, within earshot.

"If the other team wins, that bumps us down," Ruka was saying. "But if we win, other bad things are going to happen to our players. Should we let them win?"

Before Mikan and Hotaru heard the reply, Natsume and Ruka walked out of the café.

Mikan's mouth was hanging open. "Whoa," she said stupidly. "Any idea why they're debating whether or not to let the other team win?"

And, for the second time that evening, Hotaru said, "I know as much as you do."

* * *

Mikan walked into her grandpa's house and was more than a little surprised to see piles of boxes blocking part of the doorway. She slipped through the tiny crack and looked around. "Jii-chan?" 

Her grandpa appeared from the kitchen, a distressed look on his face. "Mikan, give me your phone."

Mikan hesitantly reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She gently placed it into her grandpa's hand and he shuffled off into the kitchen. "I'll get you a new one!" he called. "This one's going into the garbage."

"Jii-chan, what's going on?" Mikan ran into the kitchen. "What's with all the boxes?"

"Mikan, do you want to go with your father?" Her grandpa looked up at her.

Mikan shook her head. "No! I want to stay here! I belong here!"

Her grandpa was scribbling down something on a pad of paper. "Mikan, here's the address and a moving truck will be coming to get your stuff soon. I'll leave you my numbers and everything else."

"Jii-chan! What's going on?"

Her grandpa stopped moving around and sighed. "I bought an apartment room for you," he explained. "Your dad knows you live here, and he knows your cell phone number. You won't be living with me anymore, Mikan. You're going to be living on your own, because he won't be able to find you."

* * *

A/N: Sorry guys!! School's already getting me all tied up! Plue volleyball tryouts have already started, and my teacher asked me to do a run on Friday and I'm doing one on Sunday, so I'm pretty busy and it might take awhile to update again! Once again, thanks for the reviews! 


	7. Chapter 7

No, unfortunately I don't own Gakuen Alice.

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

Mikan sat on the couch in the empty room and looked around, completely unenthusiastic. She had to take care of herself now. There was no relying on her grandpa anymore. Not for money, not for food, not for safety. She was on her own.

Hotaru had been over already, but she hadn't been much help for unloading and unpacking everything – partly because of her ankle and partly because she didn't want to. So Mikan had helped the mover guy bring everything up to her room. Hotaru had left, and Mikan was more than happy to have a little bit of time on her own.

RINGGG!

Now what? She trudged over to the phone and picked it up. "Who is it?" Someone was at the entrance of the apartment, obviously wanting to talk to her.

"Time to spill the beans, little girl."

"Hyuuga?"

"Let me in."

Mikan reluctantly pushed the button that unlocked the main door, and then she hung up and walked over to the door to her room. Cautiously, she opened it. What was Natsume doing there in the first place?

Natsume appeared from the elevator only seconds later, and Mikan let him into her room (not that she had much choice). "Why did you move? Why did you miss practice this evening? Why aren't you answering your phone?"

Mikan hit the palm of her hand on her forehead and closed the door. "I forgot!" she exclaimed, ushering him over to the couch. "I'm sorry. I've been so busy tonight, moving all this stuff in and everything." She sat down on the cushion beside him. "Any chance I can get in for an extra practice?"

"After you tell me what's going on," Natsume said, making himself comfortable on the soft couch.

Mikan sighed and put her feet up on the cushion. "Well, Jii-chan said that he didn't want my dad to find me, so he bought me this apartment and he hasn't told anyone where I am. He also took my phone and said he'd give me a new one tomorrow. Right now it's just so hectic. It would be better if my dad never showed up."

"Just what exactly does your dad do?"

Mikan looked up at him without moving her head. "Last I heard he was building computers," she said. "He's really good with electronics, so I'm assuming that's how he figured out how to track me, though I don't know any details. I don't know how he got my number either. As far as I knew, Hotaru and Jii-chan were the only ones who knew it. And then I told Anna and Nonoko." She paused. "Wait a second. How did _you _find out my number?"

"Never mind that. Keep talking."

"I don't really know a whole lot. All I know is that he's a creep that's stalking me." She scooted closer to Natsume. "You have to keep him away from me. You _have _to. I don't want to leave. I'm happy here. I have great friends, amazing coaches, and everything else I've ever wanted."

"What do you want me to do about it?" Natsume asked rudely.

"Can't you just stay with me?" Mikan pleaded. "Please?"

Natsume had to try pretty hard to hide the blush threatening to creep onto his cheeks. He didn't show emotion. Natsume Hyuuga does not blush.

"I mean, you could be my personal body guard!" Mikan stood up and twirled around on the tip of her toes. "You won't let him take me away, will you?" She stopped and smiled at him. "I'm helping you win."

Natsume rolled his eyes and stood up. "You're making up for practice with me at the field tomorrow at 5:30 in the morning, got it?" He walked over to the door. "If you're late, you'll be in trouble."

Mikan saluted him. "Right!"

* * *

"Mikan! This store!" Anna and Nonoko dragged Mikan into the store. A dress store. Why were they looking at dresses? Mikan hated dresses.

It was still in the evening, and the sun was just setting. Soon, it would be dark, and Mikan really wanted to sleep. She had to go to practice in the morning. She had to get up early, which meant she should go to sleep early. It was kind of hard to sleep when your friends are dragging you all over the place.

"Guys, really, I should be going," Mikan said as she followed Anna and Nonoko down the isles. "I have to get up really early, and I need at least eight hours of sleep." She yawned. "I'll catch up with you guys later."

"Awe!" Nonoko and Anna said in unison. "But Mikan!"

Mikan shook her head and began walking the way she had come. "I need sleep." She walked to the door and pushed it open. She looked up just as the door shut behind her, and she froze.

Nonoko and Anna came to her side, curious to see why she was stiff. Then they saw. "Wow."

There was Natsume Hyuuga, walking through the streets with another woman, one looking his age, or maybe a year younger than him, making her Mikan's age. Their arms were linked, and the girl was busy chatting away to him.

"Uh-oh," Nonoko said. "What are you going to do, Mikan?"

Mikan shrugged and stuffed her hands into the pockets of her tight jeans. "He can do whatever he wants," she said. "See you later, guys." Still, she couldn't help but feel a slight pang of jealousy. Wasn't he supposed to be staying with _her?_

* * *

Mikan scanned her card and walked through the doors into the change rooms. It was only 4:45, but why not go early? The field was deserted, but she got changed and grabbed some soccer balls to practice nonetheless.

She began to kick the balls at the net, every time imagining that it was Natsume's head she was kicking. _Coaches are off limits, _she kept reminding herself, over and over again. _Coaches are off limits._

She'd only been there for about fifteen minutes when the doors to the field opened. "I said 5:30, little girl." Natsume put his bag down in front of the benches. "What are you doing here so early?"

"Couldn't sleep," Mikan replied honestly, kicking another ball into the net. "Does it really matter, Hyuuga? I'm here, so there's nothing to worry about." She stopped and turned to face Natsume. "Besides, I thought I should punish myself for being so forgetful."

Natsume studied Mikan before picking up the ball she had been about to kick. "Whatever."

They began practice. Natsume made her do five laps around the field, knees to her chest, and then he practiced agility with her. Then, her played defense while she played offense.

"So, Hyuuga," she started, bringing the ball up closer to the net and dribbling it skillfully between her feet. "Who was the girl you were with yesterday?" A sly smile played onto her lips. "Natsume Hyuuga actually scored a girl, did he?"

"None of you business, little girl."

* * *

Mikan sighed and flopped on her bed. She was exhausted, but she still had a game in the evening. It didn't take very long for her to decide to have a nap. But she still couldn't get Natsume off her mind.

"Stupid emotions," she mumbled, pushing her bangs back.

Why did everything have to go the wrong way?

RINGG!

Mikan sat up with a start, have scared to death by the sound of her own phone. She got up from her bed and trudged into the sitting room. She picked up the phone. "Hello?" she mumbled.

"Oi, little girl, time to go for a run."

"What?!" Mikan moaned. "Why?"

"Because you missed practice yesterday," Natsume said on the other end. "Get downstairs. We're going for a light jog."

**Ten minutes later…**

"This is light?" Mikan was sweating and panting as she ran alongside Natsume. "This is murder! I could be sleeping right now! Are you trying to tire me out for the game? I thought you wanted to win!"

"Knees to the chest," Natsume demanded.

Mikan groaned and did as she was told. She had only been going for twenty minutes when she had to stop. "Come on, Hyuuga! I'm not superwoman! I need a break!"

Natsume stopped and turned around. He was just about to say something when…

"Natsume!"

Mikan looked over his shoulder and her eyes instantly narrowed, but not enough for Natsume to notice. It was the same girl she had seen her dear coach with the day before, the one he had linked arms with. The one that was making her heart feel weird.

Natsume turned around. He walked over to the girl, who was standing at the corner of the street, waving. They began to talk, and then Mikan turned around and began to jog the way she had come.

"Hyuuga! I'm going back!"

_Why is it that he never shows how he feels? Why is it that he has to be off limits and already have a girlfriend? Why am I never good enough for anyone to love? Why do these things always happen? _Her mind was swimming with questions. _Most of all, why did I have to fall in love in the first place?_

* * *

That night for the game, Mikan could barely move. She had trouble keeping her eyes open and she was constantly tripping over her own feet. And she already knew why Natsume had worked her so hard.

Ruka pulled Mikan off the field. "Mikan, why are you so tired?"

Mikan flopped down on the bench. "Because my dearest coach wants the other team to win," she said, pointing at Natsume. "He worked me extra hard today because his girlfriend's on that team." She crossed her arms over her chest. "He had it all planned out."

Ruka looked over his shoulder at Natsume and sighed. "He had good reasoning, Mikan."

Mikan pointed her nose up stubbornly. "So you were part of it too?

"No-"

"Sure…"

Ruka sighed again and walked back over to Natsume. Mikan watched them talk. She watched Natsume's boring expression change to one of amusement and she suddenly wanted to know what they were talking about.

But she also wanted to curl up on her bed and sleep.

Ruka walked back over to her a moment later. "Mikan, we both want you to go home and get some rest," he said. "It isn't healthy for you to play when you're in this shape."

"Finally." And Mikan went to change, yearning for sleep as if she hadn't closed her eyes in days.

* * *

The next day it was rainy and cold. Mikan stepped out of her apartment without an umbrella or any other source of protection from the rain. The grocery store wasn't far.

She was having a nice run through the rain. By the time she ended up at the grocery store, she wasn't even tired. But there was someone she saw there that made her heart jump into her throat.

Kenta Sakura.

Before he could see her face, she spun around and dashed back the other way, heading for the other grocery store at least ten blocks away. She would be soaked by the time she got there.

_Please say he didn't see me, please say he didn't see me, please say-_

She bumped into someone and stumbled back. She landed on her butt on the wet pavement. "Ow," she mumbled, rubbing her head. "Sorry." She looked up to see who she had bumped into and was more than surprised to see… "Hyuuga?"

Natsume looked down at her.

"Mikan!" It was her dad. He had seen her.

Mikan sprang to her feet. "Oh, Natsume, he's going to take me," she said, looking around frantically. "He's going to take me back with him. Natsume, I don't want to go." She looked up at him. "I don't want to."

Unexpectedly, Natsume reached out and grabbed her hand. He reeled her into him and then her chest smacked against hers. She was in his embrace, and her heart was pounding like never before.

"No one's taking you anywhere."

* * *

A/N: It might be awhile until I update. MIGHT! School's already tiring me out. I'll do my best! Thanks for the reviews! 


	8. Chapter 8

No, unfortunately I do not own Gakuen Alice.

* * *

Mikan was wordless. Natsume's arms were around her firmly and the rain was pouring down on them like it would never end, and her heart was in her throat. And yet none of it made sense…

Natsume was a cold-hearted jerk, and he certainly didn't seem like the type that would protect her. And why was she so hot? She didn't like him or anything…at least she thought she didn't.

"Mikan!"

The cries got louder and her breathing got quieter. Soon, she couldn't even tell if she was holding her breath or not. Instead of trying to wriggle away from her coach's strong grasp, she stayed put, her mouth sealed shut and her eyes watering.

_Coaches are off limits, coaches are off limits…_

"Mikan!" Kenta's voice was now slowly become farther away, and she started to relax, but then she remembered she still had another problem.

Natsume was still hugging her.

She was just about to pull away when someone else saved her.

"Natsume!"

Natsume released her and turned around to face the person who had called his name. "Aoi."

Mikan peeked around Natsume and blinked when she saw the familiar face of the girl that had been with Natsume the day before and the one that had been on the opposite team. It was his girlfriend.

The girl had long black hair, almost the lengths of Mikan's. She had a pink umbrella over her head, and she was smiling like she was the happiest person alive. Why was she smiling? Hadn't she seen them?

Aoi ran up to Mikan and looked her over before looking up at Natsume. "Who is she?" she asked, still cheerful. "Girlfriend?"

"What are you-" Mikan began, but Aoi cut her off.

"You're Natsume's girlfriend!" Aoi's smile grew. "She's so cute, Natsume! How did you get a girl like her?" She reached forward with one of her hands and brushed a strand of wet hair out of Mikan's eyes. "And why is she all wet? Wait a second, this is the girl you were running with yesterday!"

Natsume rolled his eyes. "She's one of my players," he said dully. "Didn't you see her at the game?"

Mikan crossed her arms over her chest and frowned. "_What _is going on?" she demanded. "I thought you were his girlfriend."

Aoi stared at her before bursting out into a frenzy of laughter. "HA! Me? Natsume's girlfriend?" She wiped the tears out of her eyes, the ones that came from laughing so hard. "I'm his younger sister. When I heard that he was coaching here and that we were going to be playing his team, I was _so _excited." Her smile disappeared and she glared at Natsume. "Why did she look so tired yesterday?"

Mikan looked at him too. "Yeah! Why did you work me so hard?"

Natsume rolled his eyes again. "Aoi, we're going to your hotel room," he announced, starting off in the direction Mikan had been running before she ran into him. "I'll tell you when we get there."

Aoi clapped joyfully and pulled Mikan under her umbrella. "Yay! We need to get you all dried up and into clean clothes." She giggled. "This is fun!"

* * *

Mikan was sitting beside Aoi on the queen-sized bed in Aoi's hotel room, looking at Natsume, who was sitting on the small couch.

"Well?" Aoi said.

"There's a girl on your team, Aoi," Natsume began, "that's in contact with a player on a team we've already played, Hoshi. Hoshi made the mistake of telling me that information, and I thought it was best to keep you off the field, little girl, otherwise you'd end up like your friend."

Aoi's eyes were shining. "That's so romantic!"

Mikan raised her eyebrows. "So you _did _have a reason?" A smile tugged on the corners of her lips. "Wow, Hyuuga. I didn't think you actually had any intention of being nice to me."

Natsume looked at her dully for a minute before looking back at his sister. "I'm leaving now," he told her, standing up. "Practice tonight, little girl."

Mikan shot off the bed and ran in front of him, blocking his path to the door. "Hold up a second!" she said, jabbing her finger at his face. "What do you think you were doing back there?" Her eyes were narrowed suspiciously. "If coaches are off limits to players, then doesn't the same rule apply the other way around? Because that was weird."

Natsume shrugged. "Since when do you call me Natsume?"

Mikan opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it again. "Good point."

He pushed past her. "Practice tonight," he repeated, and then he was gone.

Aoi got up from the bed and walked over to her, staring at the closed hotel room door. "You two make such a good couple," she said with a dreamy sigh. "Have you gone on any dates?"

Mikan laughed nervously. "Uh, Aoi, he's my coach, not my boyfriend…"

Aoi looked at her. "That's what _you _think." She smiled slyly. "You like him."

"No I don't," Mikan replied stubbornly.

"Yes you do."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do."

"Come on Aoi! He's my coach!" Mikan pouted.

Aoi's sly smile was still on her face. "And your boyfriend. Mikan, you two make such a cute couple. And he likes you."

"How exactly do you know that?" Mikan narrowed her eyes again, just like she had done to Natsume.

Aoi laughed. "He's my brother!" she exclaimed. "I know these things." She shrugged. "Besides, it isn't every day that he protects girls and then goes around hugging them like he'd never let go. If you aren't a couple, then what were you doing?"

"My dad was stalking me," Mikan replied. "He wants me to go back to his home with him. I don't want to go, but he doesn't seem to want to listen." She made a fist and put it over her heart. "I'm one of his top players! He can't let me get away so easily."

* * *

Hotaru's ankle was better by the third practice after Mikan had met Aoi. She was back to playing like any normal person and she was back to her powerhouse position with Mikan.

Aoi had left already, and it had made Mikan sad. Over her short stay, they had become good friends. They hadn't played Hoshi's team again, and they wouldn't be for awhile still.

Mikan hadn't seen any sign of her dad since her last encounter, and she and Natsume were back to their usual bickering. Hotaru and Ruka had started to talk more, and Mikan was starting to get suspicious.

They were at a practice. Natsume and Ruka were giving the girls a two minute water break, and Mikan took the chance to confront her dearest best friend, Hotaru Imai.

"Alright, Hotaru, time to tell me what's going on!" Mikan ordered, twisting the cap off of her water bottle. "What's going on between you and Ruka?"

Hotaru stared at her emotionlessly. "Nothing…"

"That's what they always say." Mikan took a long drink of her water.

"You're too nosy."

"So something is going on between the two of you?"

"No."

"Are you positive?"

Hotaru rolled her eyes and stood up from the bench. "Baka."

Mikan frowned and hopped to her feet. Instead of following Hotaru back onto the field, she walked over to where Natsume and Ruka were discussing something and stepped in between them, interrupting their conversation. "When is Aoi's team coming back to play us?"

Ruka looked over at Natsume, who shrugged carelessly before looking at his clipboard. "Two months."

"What?" Mikan shrieked. "I can't wait that long!"

"I didn't say we weren't going to play her team in two months," Natsume said. "You asked when her team was coming here. We're going to be _going_ to play them in one month."

Mikan glared at him. "That's still too long." But it could be worse.

* * *

Mikan was in the change rooms. She was the only one left, since she was taking her sweet time and wasn't in a hurry to get back to her boring apartment room. She wished she could stay longer and just kick some balls at the net, but Ruka wouldn't let her. He said it would tire her out faster.

She was currently in the middle of the change room, on one of the benches, her wet hair cascading over her shoulders. She had already had her shower, and she was sitting on the bench in her bra and underwear, her shirt in her hand. She was just about to put it on when…

"Oh my God!" She jumped up onto the bench and stared in horror at the snake slithering slowly past her. As it came closer to the bench, she started to scream. Very bad idea.

Natsume walked into the change room calmly and raised his eyebrow when he saw Mikan up on the bench, half-naked, and the snake below her. "It's just a snake, little girl."

Mikan hadn't noticed his entrance, but when she heard his voice she began to scream again. "What are you doing in here?" she hissed, trying to cover up as much of her body as possible with her arms and shirt. "Get out, pervert!"

Natsume rolled his eyes and walked over to where the snake was slithering. He picked it up off the ground and let it wrap around his arm. "It's not going to hurt you." And then he turned around and walked back to the door. Before he exited the change room, he looked over his shoulder and smirked at her. "You have a nice butt, polka-dots. It's worth staring at."

Mikan's jaw dropped and she stared at him in shock. "You pervert!" Now he had another name to call her by. Why did she have to wear polka-dots that day?"

Life wasn't always great.

* * *

Guys, I am SO sorry for this incredibly long delay! School's terrible! I've already been loaded with homework, and I basically never get time to do anything that doesn't involve school! Sorry it's only one chapter. I'll try to update ASAP. Thanks again to all my reviewers and supporters! It means a alot! 


	9. Chapter 9

No, unfortunately I don't own Gakuen Alice.

* * *

Mikan stormed out of the indoor field, enraged. Her fingers were curled into fists and her shoulders were rigid. She wore a menacing scowl on her face and she was clearly not one worth approaching

_That pervert!_

She was utterly disgusted! How could he be so rude? He could have at least _pretended _to cover his eyes, and the last comment he had made was totally unnecessary. A nice butt? What kind of coach went around telling his players that they had a nice butt? And worth staring at? What was that supposed to mean?

She stomped down the concrete stairs that led to the parking lot. She cut across the lot until she got to the sidewalk on the other side. She starting walking, heading in the direction of her tiny little apartment building. Every single person she passed gave her questioning looks, but she ignored them and kept on walking.

Mikan was so absorbed in her angry thoughts that she wasn't paying attention to where she was. At one point, she didn't even realize she had come to a crosswalk leading across a busy road, and a young woman pushing a stroller caught her arm just on time before she made the stupid mistake of walking out right in front of a speeding vehicle.

"Sorry," Mikan apologized to the woman with a thankful expression on her face. "I wasn't really paying attention."

The woman smiled at her. "That's okay," she said softly. She scanned Mikan from head to toe. "Watch yourself." And then she turned away, pushing her stroller in the opposite direction.

Mikan watched the woman's back grow smaller and smaller with a curious expression on her face, her anger forgotten – for the time being. What did she mean by that? Was it just a friendly warning because the young teenager had almost gotten herself killed? It certainly didn't sound that way.

She shrugged and waited for the light to turn. When it did, she casually strolled across the street. She was too busy thinking about the woman's warning to think about Natsume, her perverted coach. But she was torn out of her reverie when she felt her pocket vibrating.

She sighed and pulled her cell phone out, the one her grandpa had so kindly given her. She looked at the caller ID, saw that it was Hotaru, and turned it on. "HOTARU!" she squealed gleefully into the phone.

"Baka, where are you?" Hotaru's voice was emotionless, as usual, but there was a tinge of worry in it.

"Five minutes away from my apartment, why?"

"I'm coming to pick you up." Hotaru didn't wait for a reply.

There was a click and Mikan took her phone away from her ear, gazing at it in confusion. _What was that all about? _She sighed and returned the phone to its home in her pocket. "So many questions, not enough answers," she muttered to herself. "There's always too many questions."

Hotaru's car didn't appear until Mikan was in sight of her apartment complex. But, judging by the serious look Hotaru was wearing on her face as she rolled the window down to see Mikan clearly, she wouldn't be going home that night.

"Get in."

Mikan walked around to the passenger side of the car and got in. Hotaru stepped on the gas and did and illegal 'U' turn. Then, she sped back in the direction of her parents' house.

"Hotaru, where are we going?"

As an answer, Hotaru turned on the radio.

'_The body of a young girl around the age of sixteen was found early Monday morning at a golf course," _the reporter was saying. _"After recent autopsy reports, it has been confirmed that the girl was raped and then brutally murdered. DNA tests were preformed and the prime suspect's name has been released. Kenta Sakura will be sentenced in court Sunday evening."_

Mikan's jaw dropped. "_What?_" she screeched. "My _dad _is a rapist?" 

Hotaru pinched her lips together and nodded. She turned the radio back off and focused her attention on the road. "That's why you'll be staying with me until his hearing is over," she said. "He won't be under any watch until Sunday. If he decided to come after you…well…"

Mikan was still gaping. "After me? Why would my own dad want to sexually assault me?" She was obviously baffled.

Hotaru rolled her eyes. "Haven't you ever watched any crime shows?" she asked. "Sometimes when people don't get there way they turn into psycho paths and they do stupid things. There's a very high chance that he could come after you between now and Sunday."

Mikan swallowed the lump that had been making it hard for her to breathe. "I can't believe this is happening."

"You'll be staying with me until your dad is in jail, Mikan." Hotaru pulled in her parents' house's driveway and pulled the key out of the ignition. "Because no one's going anywhere near my baka until I give the okay." She opened her door and got out.

Mikan couldn't help but smile as she followed suit. She got out of the car and trailed behind Hotaru into the house. Parents were supposed to be the ones watching out for their children, but since Mikan didn't have any (her dad doesn't count, since she ran away from him), Hotaru did the 'watching out' part for her best friend – or as Hotaru put it, baka.

"Mom!" Hotaru called. "Mikan's here!"

Mrs. Imai came racing from the kitchen, a huge smile plastered on her pale face. "Mikan, dear!" she said, opening her arms and pulling Mikan into a warm embrace. "It's so nice to have you stay with us!" She released Mikan and her smile disappeared and turned to a look of concern. "It's a true shame about your dad." She shrugged and her smile returned. "But we can't control fate. Maybe this was how it was supposed to end up."

Mikan smiled weakly and nodded. "Oh, well," she muttered. "He wasn't much of a dad anyway."

* * *

Mikan stared at the roof of the spare bedroom Hotaru's mom had prepared for her. There was so much going on that she could even think straight anymore. Why was it always her that these things happened to? Why couldn't it be someone else, someone like Natsume?

She mentally slapped herself for thinking of that name, for now her mind was beginning to flow with bitter thoughts.

That pervert Natsume could go die in a hole. Like she cared! Aoi was wrong. He didn't like her. He was just a fibber, probably because of her so-called 'nice butt'. Idiot. All guys were the same. They pretend to be there for you when all they want is your body.

That small thought led to those of the news report Hotaru had made her listen to, and then that thought led to her father. He was the _last _thing she wanted to be thinking about at the moment. She would have even preferred Natsume.

Kenta Sakura, crazy rapist. What if he did decide to go after his daughter, like Hotaru had said? What if she lost her virginity at the tender age of sixteen to her deranged father, and then was later murdered and thrown into a golf course, just like that poor other girl? Or what if she lived through it? How would she ever be able to get married? How could she look her husband in the face and tell him that she was his?

Mikan let out a frustrated groan and turned onto her side. The very thought of her father's eyes on hers while he attempted to do unexplainable things to her made her shudder and put her head under her blankets. She desperately needed a knight and shining armor. But who?

An image of Natsume suddenly popped into her mind, but she pushed it away in sheer disgust. There was no way in hell that he would ever _try _to protect her, while actually caring about her at the same time.

That time in the rain had been fake. He was pretending. It was all an act to win her trust. Too bad for him that it didn't work. She was _way _too smart for someone with a mouth that acted faster than his puny little brain.

Shaking her head at her subtle thoughts, she closed her eyes and let her mind drift off into her long-awaited sleep.

* * *

Mikan skillfully intercepted the ball from the other player and began to carry it up the field, heading towards the opposing team's net. She passed it to one of the players, Hiro, who passed it to Sumire, who passed it to Hotaru. Hotaru faked a pass to Mikan, which made her guard falter, and then she fired it at the net.

It sailed past the goalie.

So far, they were winning, and with each game they won they created a name for themselves. If they kept up the winning, they could be undefeated by the end of the season.

Hotaru had already told the coaches about Mikan's little problem, and Kenta's hearing was still two days away. She had made them swear an oath to watch out for her best friend until Kenta was safely behind bars.

"Keep it up, girls!" Ruka shouted from the sidelines. "Only a few more minutes left!"

And those few minutes went on with no more points scored. In the end, it was 1-0. Not a spectacular win, but a win nonetheless.

"Terrific work, girls," Ruka commented to all his players as they moved over to their team's benches. "If you can play like this for the rest of the season, you'll be unstoppable in the tournament."

Mikan yawned and grabbed her water bottle from the bench. She took a long, greedy drink from it and then returned it to the bench. "Hey, coach," she said, though she was technically talking to both Ruka and Natsume. "I have a new cell phone number. Do you want it, in case you need to reach me?"

Natsume snorted. "Why would I need to talk to you?"

Ruka smiled and grabbed his cell phone out of his bag, which was sitting on the ground at his feet. She told him her number, completely ignoring Natsume's rude but not surprising remark.

* * *

Mikan lazily threw the menus onto the table in front of Anna, Nonoko, Sumire, Hotaru, and another player, Sana. "What do you guys want to drink?" She took out her notepad and pen. "Make it quick. I have other tables to wait on."

The girls ordered their drinks and giggled (except for Hotaru) as a very stressed looking Mikan turned her back and walked the other way, towards the kitchen. She sure wasn't very enthusiastic about her job.

Mikan ignored them and placed their orders. She waited on the other tables, all the while thinking about how her dad could just appear at any moment and take her away. And if that happened? Well, if that happened, it would be the end of her life, therefore meaning the end of her soccer career.

Life always gets in the way.

* * *

Mikan was just leaving to indoor soccer field. Her back was to the doors and she was still on the top of the stairs. She had gone back to clear up some business with Ruka, like, get a schedule and stuff. He had already left, seemingly in a hurry to be somewhere. Natsume would probably still be in his office, but she didn't want to talk to him.

Hotaru was waiting in her car, but she wasn't in sight of the field. She should have been.

Mikan's foot went forward. Just before it hit the ground, she felt someone's hand over her mouth. She squealed as she was jerked backwards and through the stadium doors. Her heart felt as though it had stopped, and her words were instantly lost.

She didn't know who it was. But she had a hunch.

"I'll be in jail soon, Mikan, and we all know it," Kenta said. "They have enough evidence against me for a life sentence. Why they didn't keep an eye on me, I'll never know. But there's nothing wrong with one last bad deed before I'm gone. And who better to do it to than my own abandoning daughter?"

Mikan felt the familiar texture of the fake field grass under her feet. _Oh, God, I'm going to die… _She pinched her eyes together and hoped it would all go away when she opened them. When she did, however, it was worse.

She was lying on her back in the middle of the soccer field. Her dad was over top of her. Her _dad. _If it was some random guy, it wouldn't be as bad. But this was her _dad!_ The man that she half-came from!

Tears began to form at the corners of her eyes. She felt her father stroke her cheek, and then she felt a shudder of fear and disgust combined go shooting through her. _Natsume, help me!_

Kenta pushed the hair out of her eyes, and she closed them right away. She didn't want to look at his face. She didn't want to looking into the eyes of her killer as he brutally raped her. She was terrified! Right now would be a good time for her knight in shining armor to appear!

Kenta hand his hands on the collar of her button-up blouse, his nails digging into the skin on her neck and forcing blood to surface and to trickle down her neck. But he never got the chance to undo it. Instead, Mikan felt the shadow of her dad slowly leave her and she opened her eyes. He wasn't over top of her anymore. He was lying on the ground to her right, dazed, and a soccer ball was rolling away from him.

Mikan turned her head to see where the ball had come from and wasn't surprised to see Natsume standing there, his usual bored expression masking all of his emotions. He was looking at Kenta, who was just beginning to regain himself.

Mikan scrambled over to her coach and wrapped her arms securely around his legs. She was breathing hard, and she could feel the blood on her neck. Her heart was pounding against her chest with such force she thought it might burst right out of her, and her mind was spinning with jumbled thoughts that she couldn't make sense of.

Before Kenta was even on his feet, Mikan pulled her cell phone out of her jeans pockets and shoved it into Natsume hand. He looked at her frightened expression before opening the phone and dialing 911.

Then Kenta was charging towards them. Mikan bit back her fear and released Natsume's legs. Then, she flattened herself on the ground and rolled towards Kenta's moving legs. She crashed into them, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Natsume calmly walked over to the fallen man and sat on his back, immobilizing him. He was talking on the phone in a monotone, and he didn't do anything when Mikan crawled back over to him and once again wrapped her arms around his legs.

Minutes passed and Natsume shut the phone off. He handed it back to Mikan and glanced at her quickly. "You look fine," he stated.

Mikan nodded and blinked her tears away. "Thanks," she croaked. She pushed herself to her knees so that she could look at Natsume in the face properly. "Thanks for saving me." She smiled weakly.

Natsume was getting closer to her mouth. Her luscious lips were just centimeters away… So close…

* * *

A/N: Sorry for taking so long!! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you! Thanks for all the reviews! They make me so happy!

xoxo

Ducky-san


	10. Chapter 10

No, unfortunately I don't own Gakuen Alice.

* * *

The doors of the indoor field burst open and four cops, followed by two paramedics, rushed in. They didn't even seem to think about the situation before the cops were pushing Natsume off of Kenta and one of the paramedics was pulling Mikan to her feet and dragging her to the doors.

The other paramedic walked over to where Natsume was standing with a scowl on his face. "Excuse me sir, but may I please take you to the ambulance?" The paramedic laughed nervously. "We need you to tell the police everything that happened and I need to make sure you aren't injured."

Natsume shot the innocent paramedic an evil look. "I'm not injured," he said, turning around and walking over to where the soccer ball he had kicked at Kenta had rolled to a stop. "Waste your time with this guy." He jabbed his thumb in Kenta's direction, who was being dragged out of the building, looking half-dead.

"Natsume!"

Natsume looked over his shoulder and turned back around to face the person running towards him. "Ruka." He nodded at his friend, who wore a worried and shocked expression.

"Natsume! What happened? Are you okay?" The questions came one after another, Ruka taking no breath in between.

Natsume nodded again. "Just an attempted murder." He said it simply.

Ruka's mouth fell open. "_Just!_" He exclaimed, adding emphasis to the word. "She could have been killed! You could have been killed! What would have happened if you hadn't still been here? What would have happened if you had left at your regular time and Mikan ended up dead? This is _serious!_" He pushed his blonde bangs back with his palm. "I can't believe this happened."

Natsume rolled his eyes. "No one got hurt."

"She could have been killed."

"But she wasn't."

"Natsume! Stop being so stubborn! You know I'm right!"

Natsume shrugged. "Whatever." He stuffed his hands into his pockets and turned back around, heading for his office, the paramedic and the soccer ball forgotten. "I have things to get done."

Ruka reached forward and grabbed Natsume's arm. "Don't think so," he said, pulling his friend back and pointing him in the direction Mikan had been brought. "You're going to see her. Hotaru is with her, but I can guarantee she'll want to see you."

Natsume didn't have much choice. Before he could retort, Ruka was pushing him to the doors and the paramedic was following closely behind, a nervous look on his pale face.

Mikan was sitting at the back of the ambulance, her legs dangling down and her toes barely touching the pavement. A paramedic was examining the wound on her neck from her deranged father's fingernails, and Hotaru was beside her, talking softly, a concerned and worried look on her usually emotionless face. When the doors to the indoor field opened, both girls looked up.

Mikan's expression turned to one of joy and she hopped down from the ambulance, tearing herself away from the paramedic. Without a second thought, she jumped forward and wrapped her thin arms around Natsume's neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, _thank you!"_

Natsume made a sound in his throat and removed Mikan's arms, even though he desperately wanted to let her stay in her position. "Get off of me, polka-dots," he said with a smirk when he saw Mikan's expression change.

"Hyuuga!"

Natsume shrugged. "It's not my fault you showed me your panties."

Mikan glared at him. "You were the one that barged into the change room!"

Ruka went and stood beside Hotaru, his eyes never leaving Natsume and Mikan. "They sure have an interesting way of showing their care for each other, don't they?" he said. "I mean, it's kind of depressing to watch them fight all the time."

Hotaru simply nodded as she, too, watched her best friend and Natsume. "She could have been killed."

Ruka looked down at her. She was beautifully enchanting, her pale face bathed in the cold moonlight and her eyebrows pointed slightly to her nose in lingering worry for her friend who she had failed to protect. It could be seen in her eyes that she blamed herself, and it was proved in her words.

"I should have been with her."

Ruka shivered, but not from the coolness of the night. "It wasn't your fault."

"Hyuuga! You apologize right now!" Mikan had her legs shoulder-width apart to give herself more balance, and her scowl remained.

Natsume turned around and walked back to the doors. "Hn." And then he disappeared into the building, leaving Mikan infuriated while the paramedic tried to calm her down.

* * *

Mikan sighed as she stared out the window of her apartment, at the pouring rain beyond. She watched in silent depression, trying to keep her thoughts away from what had happened the night before, away from her near-death situation and away from her knight in shining armor.

She had to go out into that rain soon, seeing as she had a soccer practice and if she missed it Natsume would make her make up for it, twice as bad. Sometimes she really just wished she could have a day to herself to sleep in until noon and stay up until three in the morning with her friends.

After five more minutes of staring out the window, she gathered her stuff and walked out of her room, down the stairs, and out onto the wet sidewalk. She hadn't bothered grabbing an umbrella. She wasn't made of sugar and could take the rain.

Mikan made it to the field early, just as she had planned. She got there a whole hour early, actually. Natsume or Ruka or both were always there way before practice started, setting up and finishing some paperwork. There was nothing wrong with a little practice before practice.

She got changed into her uniform, her eyes sharp to make sure she didn't have spying perverts watching her undress. When she was comfortably in her shorts and jersey, she moved over to the mirror, where she tied her hair back neatly before walking out of the change rooms and onto the green field.

Just as she had suspected, Natsume was there, taking the soccer balls out of the equipment room and setting them up in front of the nets. He hadn't noticed Mikan's entrance.

"Hyuuga!"

Natsume froze, probably in hidden annoyance. He stood up straight and turned to face his player, a bored look on his face. "What?" Yeah, he was definitely annoyed.

Mikan gave him a cheery smile, one that would make any normal guy's knees buckle. "Want to help me practice?" Natsume was _not _normal.

"Do you always have to be early?" He walked out into the field.

Mikan shrugged. "Nothing wrong with it."

They began practice, Natsume acting as defense and Mikan acting as offense. Everything was going fine, Mikan keeping the game alive with small conversations. But Mikan wouldn't be Mikan without her occasional klutzy-ness.

She took a step, but her foot landed on the ball and she stumbled, grabbing Natsume on her way. She pulled on his shirt as she fell, forcing him to fall with her. But then, quite coincidental, because of the position they were in, Natsume's lips crashed down on hers.

Mikan felt her back hit the ground, but she was barely paying attention. Natsume caught himself with his arms, holding his body above her in a pushup position. His lips were still glued to hers. His eyes were closed, while Mikan's were wide with shock. But she was enjoying it too much to push him off. She felt as though her heart was melting in pure delight.

_Coaches are off limits, coaches are off limits… _She smiled inwardly at the thought. _Tch. Whatever. Who cares about limits?

* * *

_A/N: Sorry, sorry, sorry!! I know, this is taking me FOREVER to update, but I have SO much homework every night and it's all because of my dumb math teacher. I'm really sorry that this chapter isn't very long, but I have part 2 of my volleyball tournament tomorrow and have to go to bed unusually early for a weekend. That's another thing I have to mention. Because of volleyball, with practices and games that I'll be having, along with tournaments every second weekend, this is going to be really hard for me to keep up, but i'll do my absolute best! Thanks to all who take the time to read and/or review to my story! It means a lot!

xoxo

Ducky-san


	11. Chapter 11

No, unfortunately, I don't own Gakuen Alice.

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 11**

**Mikan's P.O.V.**

Ever since that morning when I went to the field early for practice, the relationship between Natsume and me has changed. Of course, we still fight, but our fights always turn into something good.

Hotaru and Ruka talk more, too. Ruka even takes her out for coffee now and again, usually when Natsume takes me somewhere. I'm not too sure how their relationship took a turn like Natsume's and mine, but I really could care less. I can see that Hotaru is happy now, and I'd be stupid to try and take that away from her.

I got to see Aoi again. In fact, my team is playing their team right now. A lot has happened over the months, ever since the beginning, ever since tryouts. First, me and my best friend make a soccer team with two really hot guys coaching, my dad tries to kill me, and I broke the rules and did something I thought I'd sworn not to do.

I fell in love with my coach, Natsume Hyuuga.

And I'm glad.

After everything that we've been through, I'm more than happy to know that he's there to protect me. I'm more than happy to know that I only have to worry about the little things now, like keeping my apartment clean, since he's over there most of the time. Sometimes we go to his house – well, mansion – but he doesn't seem to like it as much as he seems to like being in my cramped little apartment.

I can't imagine why, but I don't have anything to complain about.

Hotaru and I are still best friends, and I don't think that's ever going to change. I can still see the worry on her face while she sat beside me in the back of that ambulance, just after Natsume saved me from my deranged dad, who had tried to rape me. We're complete opposites, but you don't have to be the same to be friends.

As long as you can stand being with a person and talk and have fun with them, they can truly be called friends.

I dribbled the ball between my feet. As I passed the ball the short distance to Hotaru, I caught a glimpse of Natsume on the sidelines by our bench, and I saw the rare smile on his face.

Hotaru passed it back to me and I wound up my leg, striking it hard. It sailed through the air and right passed the goalie's hands.

I raised my hands in the air and jumped up and down, holding Hotaru's hand. The rest of the players on the field came to join us, wrapping us both in a hug.

Like I said before, we didn't _plan _on falling in love with the coaches. We planned on being the best of the best, planned on getting the coaching we needed to be soccer stars.

In the end, I think Hotaru and I are both glad that it turned out this way.

Because we _are_ SOCCER STARS!

* * *

A/N: Guys, I'm so sorry that I took so long to update and I'm SO sorry that this is so short for the end of the story, but I can't find the time to keep this going. This is my first weekend of relaxation since the beginning of school, and it just so happens that I mihg tbe coming down with the flu. Being an athlete certainly doesn't help either. There's volleyball, running, and now ski club is creeping up on me too.

I'm really sorry for the end and the short chapter, but take note that it means a lot to me to read the reviews from those who enjoyed my story!

xoxo

Ducky-san


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